Lobster bisque
The Story
I love a steakhouse and to this day I still dream of the meal I had at the Strip House Steakhouse in New York City. And it’s not just because of the dry-aged ribeye I had that was melt-in-your-mouth tender. It actually is because of their lobster bisque. I was so enamored with their version that I almost didn’t have any room left to eat that expertly prepared ribeye. To be honest, every time I go to a steakhouse (which let’s be real isn’t that often…it’s a special occasion type of deal) I have to order the lobster bisque or it doesn’t feel like a true steakhouse experience to me.
One day at my parent’s house I was really craving that steakhouse experience, but since they live out in the middle of Westchester county, getting to a steakhouse isn’t all that easy. This recipe is definitely not the easiest nor is it the quickest. But it’s deeply satisfying and extremely delicious. Feel free to buy pre-processed lobster or nice quality lobster broth to shorten the overall cooking time. However, in my humble opinion, doing the whole shabang gives you much better results.
You don’t have to serve this with a big steak…you can also serve it as an appetizer to some pan-roasted spiced chicken thighs or even go rogue and serve double seafood with gambas al ajillo.
Difficulty: 5 on a scale of 1-5
Active time to prepare: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Total time to prepare: 3 hours and 45 minutes (including simmer time for the lobster stock)
Serves: 8 - 10
The Ingredients
For the lobsters:
4 lobsters 1 1/4 pound/140 g
5 cups/1.2 L water
For the lobster stock:
2 pounds/ 907 g chicken wings
Heads and shells from 4 lobsters
1/4 cup/54 g light-colored oil (sunflower, vegetable, etc.)
2 medium onions diced
4 medium carrots peeled and diced
4 stalks of celery diced
3 large cloves of garlic smashed with the skins removed
5 plum or roma tomatoes roughly chopped
3 tablespoons/42 g tomato paste
1/2 cup/118.5 g brandy
1 bay leaf
For the lobster bisque:
1/4 cup/54 g olive oil
1 large white onion minced
2 celery stalks minced
3 tablespoons/42 g tomato paste
1/2 cup/118.5 g sherry (or brandy)
3/4 cup raw jasmine rice
Juice from half a lemon
1 cup/ 237 g heavy cream
Optional garnishes: minced fresh chives or scallions, minced parsley
The Recipe
For the lobsters:
Bring the water to a boil. Season heavily with salt.
Prepare a large bowl with ice and a tablespoon of salt. Set aside.
With the help of a kitchen towel, separate the heads from the lobsters' bodies. Set aside.
Remove the claws and knuckles from each side. Place the larger claws together and the smaller claws together.
Cook the lobster tails and claws in the boiling water: lobster bodies for 3 minutes, larger claws for 2 minutes, and the smaller claws for 1 and a half minutes. Immediately cool down in the ice bath.
Using narrow kitchen shears and your chef’s knife, remove the lobster meat from the shells, dipping the parts in the ice bath to remove any coagulated white albumin that may be on the lobster meat. DO NOT THROW OUT THE SHELLS (you’ll use them for the lobster stock).
Cut the meat into large pieces and store in a hermetically sealed container in the refrigerator.
For the lobster stock:
Preheat the oven to 232° C/450° F.
Place the chicken wings on a sheet tray and roast in the oven until golden brown (25 minutes approx.) flipping them over mid-way through.
Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil and heat.
Cut the lobster heads in half long ways. Place them in the stock pot with the shell facing up. Brown on both sides (6 minutes approx.). Set aside.
Add the rest of the shells and brown, making sure to scrape up any bits that stick to the bottom of the pan so they don’t burn (6 minutes approx.).
Remove the shells, and add the diced onion and carrot. Cook until softened (8 - 10 minutes approx.).
Add the celery and smashed garlic cloves, and continue to cook until the edges of the vegetables start to brown slightly (5 minutes approx.).
Add the tomatoes and cook until most of their water has evaporated (4 - 5 minutes approx.).
Add the tomato paste, and stir it thoroughly to combine with the vegetables. Cook until it turns a dark red (3 - 4 minutes approx.).
Deglaze with the brandy, scraping up any brown bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cook the mixture until it no longer smells like alcohol (3 - 5 minutes approx.).
Add the bay leaf, the browned lobster shells and heads, and the browned chicken wings. Stir to combine.
Fill the pot with just enough cold water to submerge all the lobster shells and chicken wings.
Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Once it starts to boil, skim off any excess fat that rises to the top as well as any impurities (they’ll look like beige thick bubbles).
Lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 2 hours with the pot semi-covered.
Strain the stock, and let cool in a container without covering it at room temperature. Once it has cooled down, cover, and store it in the refrigerator.
For the lobster bisque:
In a large soup or stock pot, add the olive oil and heat over medium meat.
Add the diced onion and celery and cook until very soft (8 - 10 minutes approx.).
Add the tomato paste and stir thoroughly to combine it with the vegetables. Cook it until it turns a dark red color (3 - 4 minutes approx.).
Deglaze the pan with the sherry, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, and cook until it no longer smells like alcohol (3 - 5 minutes approx.).
Stir in the rice and season with salt and pepper.
Add lobster stock, bring to a boil, and lower to a simmer. Cook until the rice is very soft (23 - 25 minutes approx.).
Place the bisque in a blender in batches and blend until very smooth.
Add the lemon juice and cream and heat carefully, ensuring to not let the lobster bisque boil so that the cream doesn’t split.
Add the lobster meat and heat until just warmed through.
Optionally, stir in chives, scallion, and/or parsley.
DO AHEAD: You can cook the lobster 1 to 2 days in advance and keep it in the refrigerator. You can make the lobster stock 3 to 4 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator.
LEFTOVERS: Any leftover lobster stock will stay good in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days and in the freezer for 6 months. Leftover lobster bisque will remain fresh in the refrigerator for 4 days and in the freezer for 3 months.
*NOTE: I recommend freezing the soup in individual portions so you only have to defrost what you will be eating. Otherwise, you will have to consume the whole quantity that you have frozen (once something is frozen, it can only be defrosted once).
